When fire investigator Blake McCann is found overcooked in a fire caused by arson, Beckett and company catch the case. Soon they realize that the case is far bigger than they thought and that McCann was close to something. He was close to catching “The Phantom.” Castle is enamored with the whole mystery of the fires and Nathan Fillion is at his best when his alter ego is engaged and interested in a particular crime. However even Nate’s undying enthusiasm cannot save “Under Fire” because it is too weighed down by fire movie cliches that we have all picked up over the years. I wrote in my notes who I thought was the killer 10 minutes in and I nailed it. But to be honest I hate when I am right because it means that a show is, at least to me, phoning it in. And yes, Jenny is 9 months pregnant and just about ready to pop when the explosion happens. The episode even uses the “12 Hours Earlier” device at the beginning of the episode adding to the cliched offenses. When Caskett gets a lead on the fire from a website called “Pyrolicious.com,” the duo spring into action. Only then do they realize that their boys are stuck inside. No real surprises play out in the episode making it simply “so-so” as a completely ordinary episode of Castle. I was very disappointed because Castle and company have not been that formulaic since the shows inception. In fact one of the things I liked best about the show when I first started watching was its originality. However in this episode it sinks down to a level that makes you want to watch something else because there is just nothing there to challenge the viewer. I think that the Jenny & Ryan having a baby part of the episode was nice and sweet but felt a little out of place. I guess I just thought that when Jenny did deliver it, the would be gang caught up in some hospital hijinks with first-time father Ryan at his manic best. Can’t win ’em all I guess. I think that they were genuine in their efforts to try to bring something new to this particular sub-genre of the 10 p.m. drama. Any cop show will touch on arson at least once in their TV tenure. That’s all well and good but at least make something with a little bit more for us to chew on. But I of course will forgive Castle and the gang for this week’s episode because it is the type of show with such lovable characters that any reprieve is short-lived. Den of Geek Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars